Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post 900- State Champs Two Years in a Row
State Comp Champs (left to right) Melinda Mujidzic, Keith Felsman, William Yann, Miracle Anderson, Elias Karr, Nathan Mowatt, Thomas Garmon, Joshua Davidson, Wesley Wood, Michael Metzger, Rachel Davidson, Matthew Sauter. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post 900 wins both the State Competition Championship and the State Pistol Championship at the Florida Association of Police Explorers competition held in Coral Springs, Florida on June 8-13, 2009! Competing against 21 other law enforcement explorer posts from across Florida, Pinellas County's "Team Alpha" received the overall championship trophy for the second year in a row. The state team comprised of Explorer Lieutenant Thomas Garmon, Explorer Lieutenant Joshua Davidson, Explorer Sergeant Nathan Mowatt, and Explorer Corporal Wesley Wood received fifth place trophies for the Search and Arrest event and Traffic Crash event. They received third place trophies in the First Aid, Traffic Stop, Crime Scene and the Tie Breaker events. They also received a second place trophy for the In-progress event and a first place trophy for the Active Shooter event. Search and Arrest involved the team's response to a complaint from children at a park who observed a suspicious adult photographing them. Through the investigation, the team discovered an outstanding warrant and completed an arrest of the subject. The First Aid event involved the efficient response to the victim of a snake bite who required CPR. The Crime Scene event required the forensic processing of a vehicle burglary and the Tie Breaker event involved the response to a complaint of a missing adult suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The team needed to not only investigate the missing endangered adult, but also to calm the distraught complainant and initiate a "Silver Alert." During the In-Progress event the state team arrived on the scene of a vandal entering a local fire department. The suspect fled into the building requiring a thorough building search culminating with an arrest. The Active Shooter event began as a complaint of a fight in a bar, but quickly escalated into a hostage situation with shots being fired. The team consistently reacted to every challenge using the officer safety and investigative techniques they received during their training. It was also imperative for members of the team to use good communication skills and have an understanding of Florida statutes. As always, the training provided by members of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, as well as, the commitment and dedication of Post Advisors, has helped to mold "Team Alpha" into a superior competition team deserving of the state championship trophy. The Post 900 Pistol Team was also victorious at the competition. Explorer Lieutenant Thomas Garmon, Explorer Lieutenant Joshua Davidson, Explorer Sergeant Michael Metzger and Explorer Corporal Matthew Sauter combined their individual scores to bring home the first place pistol team trophy. Ten members of Explorer Post 900 took the opportunity to compete. Several of Post 900 members received individual trophies in their respective divisions. Explorer Keith Felsman took 4th place and Explorer William Yann took 1st place in the Marksman division. Explorer Lieutenant Rachel Davidson took 5th place, Explorer Sergeant Michael Metzger took 2nd place, and Explorer Corporal Matthew Sauter took 1st place in the Sharpshooter division. Explorer Lieutenant Joshua Davidson took 3rd place in the Expert Division, and Explorer Thomas Garmon took 1st place in the Master Division. Success on the pistol range is attributed to the hours of range time provided by the Wyoming Antelope Club and the St. Pete Pistol Range, as well as the instruction an encouragement of Post Advisors. In addition to the pistol trophies, several Post 900 members participated in individual optional events including the Honor Guard competition, the Physical Agility competition, the Police Mountain Bike competition and the Computer Simulated event. Honor Guard members Melinda Mujidzic, Michael Metzger, Joshua Davidson, Miracle Anderson and Thomas Garmon received a 3rd place trophy. Explorer Corporal Miracle Anderson received 1st place in the Physical Agility competition-female division. Explorer Melinda Mujidzic received 1st place in the Police Mountain Bike competition-female division, and Explorer Sergeant Michael Metzger received 4th place in the Computer Simulated Event. For the second year in a row, the members of Explorer Post 900 have prepared and performed as a championship law enforcement team! Their success is a credit to Sheriff Jim Coats and countless agency members for their consistent support and encouragement. Whether through classroom instruction or providing a ride-along experience, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has given these young people the experience of a lifetime! Congratulations Post 900- The BEST in the state, again!
Explorer’s selected for National Academies from left to right – Joshua Davidson, Rachel Davidson, Sheriff Jim Coats, Miracle Anderson, and Nathan Mowatt.
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